Letter: Tenants fed up with officials' anti-public housing sentiment

Nearly every state representative agrees with state agencies and the governor that public housing is a must in this state, with the exception of the Fall River area's delegation. Are they state reps or city hall's mouthpieces?

Nearly every state representative agrees with state agencies and the governor that public housing is a must in this state, with the exception of the Fall River area’s delegation. Are they state reps or city hall’s mouthpieces?

Every one of them condemn family developments regardless if they are places where low-income folks from every walk of life must be housed for lack of income choices. These include seniors who grew up here and were left in place by family members, but their places may be too large for them to continue to stay at home and are made to move on. Where to? Public housing high-rises.

Lo and behold, our representatives don’t know the difference. They just want to treat them as though they have just stepped into the abyss. Feed them and tell them what they want to hear and hope to get their vote and their families’ votes — families who may live in the dreaded family developments.

What started all this stupidity? Not Mayor Carlton Viveiros, who worked well with tenants and their organizations. His board members made sure tenants were always involved in every aspect of Housing Authority operations.

He made sure tenants were given their share of jobs at the authority and participated in functions for the public housing youths. His appointed staff and commissioners knew how to participate.

Well, lo and behold, along came Ed Lambert who became the immediate dictator at city hall.

He was very anti-public housing with the exception of putting his friends in great-paying housing jobs, up to and including his assistant taking over the top management position.

His commissioners kicked all tenant memorandums to the curb, including tenant participation. After everyone was all set, he turned down all the millions of dollars given to Fall River to rebuild public housing areas that were ignored, vandalized and became victims of wear and tear. Unsightly neighborhoods were left to fall apart.

Now along comes a bunch of anti-public housing individuals who have Fall River’s representatives, including city hall, championing their quest to ignore all common sense in the rest of the state’s quest to provide betterment of low- and moderate-income and senior housing.

They are simply jumping for joy to have their assistance to demean progress that has already been set in motion.